27 Benefits Of Rooibos Tea For Your Health

From the land of the wild, South Africa, comes an unassuming, yet salutary herbal tea, made from the stems and leaves of the rooibos plant, also known as the red bush. Conventionally, rooibos is a legume, but people commonly consume it in the form of tea. Though initially popular only in South Africa, the demand for rooibos tea is increasing immensely in other parts of the globe with every passing day, owing to its pleasant taste, distinctive flavor, and copious health benefits.

3. Can Benefit Infants

We know how delicate infants are. Owing to the degrading environment and rising levels of pollution, infants are more susceptible to oxidative stress, which ultimately leads to cell and tissue damage. This is where the antioxidants in rooibos tea come into play, as they protect the infants from the harmful effects of oxidative stress (6).

Rooibos tea is known to treat a number of ailments related to infants – like colic, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. The tea, being naturally high in vitamin C and antioxidants, can fight diseases caused by free radicals (7).

Rooibos tea is also low in tannins that, otherwise, can interfere with your baby’s digestive functionalities. However, remember that rooibos tea is just a supplementation and not an alternative to breast milk.

4. Can Improve Skin Health

Rooibos tea, being rich in alpha hydroxyl acid and zinc, can play a pivotal role in maintaining skin health (8). These can revitalize the skin and give it a natural glow. The tea can also help heal wounds and offer protection against the harmful UV rays of the sun.

Have you ever considered rooibos tea for acne? When it comes to acne, rooibos tea can do wonders. Acne can be a nightmare, can’t it? Even when it heals, it leaves its mark(s) behind. Rooibos tea, when applied topically, helps to treat and reduce the acne scars. The tea’s high antioxidant content increases blood flow to the skin, thereby speeding the healing process. Its anti-inflammatory properties also help in soothing inflamed skin.

You might as well stop worrying about sunburns when you have rooibos tea ready in your kitchen. Yes, basking in the sun does feel great at times, but it can also be one of the worst things you can do to your skin. Too much exposure to the sun can make you susceptible to sunburns and even skin cancer. Rooibos tea, when applied topically, helps in soothing inflamed skin caused due to sunburn, eczema, or acne (9).

7. Improves Digestive Health

Troubled by an upset tummy every other day? Maybe you need to sip a cup of rooibos tea daily! Rooibos tea has anti-spasmodic effects that help soothe the gastrointestinal tract and counter common digestive problems like acidity, nausea, vomiting, and even colic in infants. Rooibos tea is also a great remedy for irritable bowel syndrome.

8. Can Help Treat Diabetes

Rooibos tea contains aspathalin, a powerful antioxidant that is known to have the potential to offer protection against diabetes.

In one Japanese study, studies conducted on diabetic rats suggested that aspathalic has anti-diabetic properties (10). Another Japanese study had come up with similar findings with regard to type 2 diabetes as well (11).

In another Korean study, aspathalin and nothofagin, the two antioxidants present in rooibos tea, were found to have significant benefits in the treatment of diabetes (12).

The glucose-lowering effects of aspathalin in rooibos tea were also found in a South African study, proving the efficacy of the tea in aiding in the treatment of diabetes (13).

9. Can Improve Fertility

Rooibos tea, amongst its counterparts, was found to offer the greatest protection for male fertility against oxidative stress. This was discovered in a South African study conducted in 2012 (14).

In another study, rooibos tea was found to prolong the fertility in Japanese quail hens, hinting at the possibility of a similar effect on humans as well (15).

Diabetes is known to affect the sperm quality. But in one South African study, rooibos tea was shown to have beneficial effects on the sperm quality in individuals suffering from diabetes (16). Owing to the presence of antioxidants, rooibos tea can also play a role in improving reproductive functions.

Caution

It must be noted that excessive consumption of rooibos tea can lead to structural changes in the male reproductive system, and might even harm the functioning of the kidneys and liver (17).

10. Helps Treat Allergies

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Again, its antioxidants must be given the credit. In one Japanese study, the antioxidants in rooibos tea were found to enhance the production of antibodies in the body, which might ward off allergies (18).

In another Italian study, nothofagin, one of the main antioxidants present in rooibos tea, was found to have the ability to treat allergies (19).

11. Reduces The Risk Of Cancer

Rooibos tea has properties that can help reduce the risk of cancer. It has been found that for many centuries, the indigenous Bushmen of South Africa have sworn by the many healthful benefits of the tea. Research conducted has suggested that the tea has the potential to ward off cancer (20).

Rooibos is found to increase those enzymes in the body that help in detoxification, which eventually helps slow down DNA mutation.

The advantage rooibos tea has over other herbal teas (like green and black teas) is that it is free of caffeine. Hence, it has close to zero toxicity, thereby being a more effective form of chemoprevention.

According to a study conducted in Japan, rooibos tea has a large amount of flavonoids and acts as a potent antioxidant (21). Hence, it can offer protection against cancer. Another North American study has also come up with similar findings (22).

A study conducted by Nutrition and Cancer in 2011 discovered the cancer preventive ability of unfermented rooibos when it helped reduce the size of papilloma esophageal in rats.

This protective benefit of rooibos is due to the counteractive activity of its flavonoid groups on cancer cells. Rooibos also contains antioxidants that protect the body cells from oxidative damage and hence lower the risk of cancer.

12. Helps Treat Gout

13. Prevents Liver Diseases

Rooibos tea contains antioxidants that can protect your liver from damage. When consumed during the initial stages of a liver problem, it can even reverse the damage. A study conducted by Physiological Research on rats found that rooibos acts as a hepatoprotective agent (an agent that prevents liver damage) when included in the diets of patients suffering from liver disease (23).

15. Helps Relieve Anxiety And Mental Stress

Rooibos tea also helps relieve nervous tension because of the presence of magnesium, zinc, and iron in it. These minerals help to create a systemic balance in the brain. The tea thus promotes improved functioning of the nervous system.

It is often prescribed as an anti-depressant due to its nerve-calming benefits.

Stress is one of the biggest problems today, and is responsible for a number of health issues like heart diseases, obesity, asthma, anxiety and gastrointestinal troubles. A study conducted by Stellenbosch University found that the aspalathin and nothofagin compounds in rooibos tea can help reduce anxiety and stress as they help lower the production of cortisol – the stress hormone (26).

Hence, there’s no need to rely on chemical drugs to counter stress when you can enjoy the goodness of a natural mood enhancer!

16. Helps Prevent Kidney Stones

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Those prone to kidney stones must make rooibos tea a part of their daily diet. As per an article published in the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine alumni newsletter, 2007, rooibos tea is free of oxalic acid, which is one of the major causes of stone formation.

As per another Indian study, rooibos tea can have an inhibitory effect on kidney stones due to its antioxidant activity (27).

17. Can Treat Menstrual Cramps

Rooibos tea has long been used for treating menstrual cramps in women. The Women’s Nutritional Advisory Service, an organization that helps women around the world to improve their health and well-being, recommends rooibos tea for treating menstrual cramps (28). The tea has also been found to treat the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

19. Counters Bronchial Allergies

Rooibos tea is also a natural bronchodilator, a substance that dilates the bronchi and bronchioles, thus improving the flow of air to the lungs and making it easier to breathe (29). Rooibos tea, therefore, helps counter the symptoms of asthma and reduces the severity of the condition.

22. Can Cure Headache

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According to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, rooibos tea is one effective herbal remedy for headache (32).

Headaches are generally caused due to muscle contractions in the face or head. Rooibos tea, owing to its relaxing properties, can make you less tense and more rested, thereby eliminating the chance of contracting a headache in the first place.

24. Boosts The Immune System

Here’s another way the antioxidants in rooibos tea can benefit you. Being rich in immune-boosting antioxidants like vitamins C and E, along with other antioxidants like aspalathin, chromium, and nothofagin, rooibos tea helps keep infections at bay. In addition to being caffeine-free, rooibos tea also has very low levels of tannin. Together, these properties help a great deal in boosting the immune system.

25. Improves Bone Health

The bone mineral density in women declines as they age. The flavonoids orientin and luteolin present in rooibos tea help enhance bone mineral content, according to the reports of a study conducted by Molecular Nutrition and Food Reasearch (37).

Also, like already discussed, rooibos tea does not contain caffeine. Caffeine is one of the major reasons for the deterioration of bone health.

26. Prevents Heart Disease

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As established earlier, rooibos tea provides protection against oxidative damage, and thus prevents the oxidation of essential cellular components as fats. It also reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

As per a study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, rooibos tea helps lower the levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, that clogs the arteries and increases the risk of heart diseases. On the other hand, it increases the levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, that helps carry fat deposits out of the arteries to the liver. It is especially a great beverage for those with a history of heart diseases in the family.

In another South African study, rooibos tea was found to offer cardiac protection to a rat on whom the test was conducted (38), suggesting a similar possibility in humans as well.

27. Helps Combat HIV

HIV is one of the deadliest diseases ever. Studies prove that the active substances contained in rooibos tea extract can also suppress HIV infection (39). The alkaline extracts of rooibos tea can counter HIV, reports a study published in the US National Library of Medicine.

Having learned the pros and cons of rooibos tea, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it surely does a lot more good than harm. So, are you ready to enjoy the many health benefits of rooibos tea? Are you aware of any other rooibos tea benefits that we have missed? Do let us know by commenting in the box below.

Hi Nagarika, you can purchase Rooibos tea on various online grocery sites and they are available these days in local grocery supermarkets too. To make rooibos tea, you can follow this process – Place 1 tsp of tea leaves for every 8oz (1 cup) of water. Pour boiling water into a teapot or teacup and steep for 5 minutes. Add milk and sugar or honey to taste. Alternatively, you can brew the tea in hot milk. Hope this helps you.